Tuesday, July 19, 2011

It's a Bird, It's a Plane... No, It's a Flying Car!


The 21st century car has finally arrived, you guys. Several media outlets have confirmed that a flying car could be on the road -- and in the air -- by the end of next year.

Ever since cars were invented, we've been dreaming about ways to get them in the air. From "The Jetsons" and Chitty Chitty Chitty Bang Bang in the '60s to Back to the Future's DeLorean and Ron Weasley's Ford Anglia more recently, many concepts for the flying car have been dreamt up. But this decade will bring the real thing -- the Terrafugia Transition.

This flying car will be a two-seat plane made of carbon-fiber that you can drive straight out of your garage, fly to work (beat the annoying rush hour traffic!), and land to get that perfect parking space. The car can go 115 mph in the air and 62 mph on land, the wings fold up in about 15 seconds, and it is about the size of a large sedan... so, if parking is a problem, hey, just land on a rooftop!

CEO Carl Dietrich received $60 million from the Defense Department to build the ultimate flying car in just 5 years. Last week, The U.S. National Highway Safety Administration said the car is cleared for takeoff for the nation’s highways! With the next impending Carmageddon 11 months from now, they must have known the importance of getting around those typically backed-up freeways.

The Terrafugia Transition will be sold for $227,000, but this price tag is certainly not scaring away potential owners. Around 100 people have already put down a $10,000 deposit for their first flying car. Dietrich says his creation is expected to go global (of course!), and Europe says they want in on the action too. So do about 20 Britons.

To fly a Terrafugia Transition, you will need a light-aircraft license and 20 hours of training, so start enrolling in those flight classes now. Oh, and don't forget the insurance too…

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